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The romantic patio of this historic home glows with candlelight in the evening; during the day things look a lot more casual. The emphasis here is on vegetarian dishes like avocado pizza and chaya soup (made from a green plant similar to spinach), and healthful juices. (Meat, fish, and shellfish are served here in moderation.) Other local favorites include stuffed mushrooms, spinach lasagna, cochinita pibil, and butterfly chicken breast in a cream sauce. Prices are reasonable, and the service is always excellent. Expect live music in the open-air courtyard daily between 8:30 pm and midnight.
Calle 59 No. 507, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Upscale Yucatecan cuisine
- Good selection of vegetarian offerings
- Romantic atmosphere
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This contemporary restaurant at the Wayam Mundo Imperial hotel in the García Ginerés neighborhood has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lush, plant-filled terrace as well as flavorful Italian and Latin American dishes like ceviches, arroz con pollo, and pastas. Chef Maycoll Calderón's allows the fresh ingredients to take center stage, avoiding anything too fussy. The extensive cocktail and mocktail menus make the most of the area's bounty of tropical fruits.
508, Mérida, Yucatán, 97070, Mexico
Known For
- Stylish decor
- Innovative dishes
- Large terrace
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This open restaurant under a giant palapa roof is an inviting spot for lunch or an early dinner (it closes at 7 pm). Though you'll find the same Yucatecan dishes here as elsewhere—pollo pibil, lime soup—the preparation is excellent and portions are generous. Best of all is the poc chuc—little bites of pork marinated in sour orange, garlic, and chiles and grilled over charcoal. (There is also a Mérida location if you don't want to make the trip to the original one.)
Calle 26 No. 208, Yucatán, 97850, Mexico
Known For
- Tasty poc chuc
- Huge portions at reasonable prices
- Small-town atmosphere
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A henequen ranch in the 17th century, this beautiful hacienda just outside Mérida serves some of the best regional food around. Start with sopa de lima, then move on to standout mains like poc chuc or cochinita pibil (both served with homemade tortillas). The restaurant has the Yucatán's largest wine selection, and desserts come with a complimentary digestif. After your meal, stroll through the gardens where peacocks roam. Most patrons are well-to-do Meridanos enjoying a leisurely lunch: let that be your guide on what to wear here. A guitarist serenades you and your fellow diners between 2 and 5 on weekends. If you’d like to spend the night, the hacienda has six handsome suites ($$), but you'll need to book ahead for weekends and holidays.
Carretera 180, Mérida, Yucatán, 97370, Mexico
Known For
- Largest wine selection in town
- Country setting with lovely gardens
- Elegant atmosphere
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Dec. 25–Jan. 1. No dinner
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Glass walls replicate an oblong Mayan house, incorporating the profusion of plants outside as a design element here at the town's favorite lunch spot. Seafood, with a campechano twist, reigns supreme here. A truly ambitious meal might start with a plate of calamari, stone-crab claws, or camarones al coco (coconut-encrusted shrimp). Memorable mains include pan de cazón (a shark-meat casserole that's one of Campeche's most distinctive dishes) and fresh robalo fish topped with puréed cilantro, parsley, orange, and olive oil. For dessert, the classic choice is ate, slabs of supercondensed mango, sweet potato, or other fruit or vegetable jelly served with tangy Gouda cheese. As the sun goes down, candles adorn the white-linen tablecloths, and soft blue lighting illuminates the outside atrium. Known for: pan de cazón (shark-meat casserole); yummy seafood appetizers; unusual setting.
Av. Miguel Alemán 179A, 24000, Mexico
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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This innovative cultural complex, bar, and restaurant has brought energy to a part of Mérida that wasn't previously on the map for most visitors and residents. The factory that once stood here now houses a restaurant serving creatively updated Yucatecan dishes, several bars, a gallery, an arthouse cinema, and a pop-up space which typically features the work of a local artisan or collective. Located on Calle 63 between 50 and 52, the area is busy during the day but quiet at night.
Calle 63 459B, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Art gallery
- Innovative Yucatecan and Middle Eastern dishes
- Movie theater
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Apoala is one of the best choices for Mexican food on Parque Santa Lucia, Mérida's lively, restaurant-lined plaza. The menu includes both Oaxacan and Yucatecan dishes—moles and beef dishes from the former, ceviches and cochinita pibil from the latter. The presentation is elevated without being fussy.
Calle 60 471, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Oaxacan and Yucatecan dishes
- Outdoor seating
- Elevated approach to Mexican cuisine
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$ | Centro | Middle Eastern
The waiters are brusque, the building is old, and the decor couldn't be plainer. But you'll find good, hearty, and cheap fare at this always-popular spot. The most expensive main dish here costs about M$70—but side dishes are extra. Middle Eastern and standard Yucatecan fare share the menu with vegetarian specialties: meat-free items include tabbouleh and spongy, lemon-flavor spinach turnovers. Shopkeepers linger over grilled shish kebab, pita bread, and coffee. Some elderly couples have been coming in once a week for decades. An English-language menu, which has explanations as well as translations, is essential even for Spanish speakers.
Calle 58 No. 474, at Calle 57, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, No dinner
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$ | | Mexican
Although this large roadside spot mainly caters to the groups visiting Uxmal, locals recommend it as the most formally established eatery in the area, and the friendly owners are happy to serve small parties (they'll squeeze you in among the tour groups). The basic menu includes local dishes like lime soup and pollo pibil, and such universals as fried chicken and vegetable soup. Approach the salsa on the table with a bit of caution: it's made almost purely of habañero chiles. A small on-site shop sells pieces of popular art including figurines of los aluxes, the mischievous "lords of the jungle" that Mayan legend says protect farmers' fields.
Carretera Muna–Uxmal, 4 km (2½ mi) north of Uxmal, Uxmal, Yucatán, 97844, Mexico
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, No dinner.
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The food is not the primary draw at this restaurant, though it does a good enough rendition of basic pastas, salads, and burgers as well as some Mexican bar-food favorites. Instead, its popularity is due to delicious cocktails, aguas frescas, and a lively atmosphere. You can choose a seat outside and watch the activity on Paseo Montejo, or sit inside where the people-watching is just as interesting.
498B, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Lively atmosphere
- Outdoor seating on Paseo de Montejo
- Good value
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If there were a "Best Pizza in Mexico" contest, we’d nominate this restored colonial gem a couple of blocks north of the main square. Lots of reds and yellows brighten the interior, and the outdoor patio overlooking Parque de la Candelaria becomes prime real estate on beautiful evenings. With 30 years in the restaurant business, most of them spent back in Italy, the owners here know pizza. They whip up 11 varieties, as well as sweet and salted focaccia and enormous calzones. A selection of Italian wines rounds out the offerings. Casa Italia opens at 7—come early if you want to snag a patio table.
Calle 35 No. 202J, Valladolid, Yucatán, 97780, Mexico
Known For
- Impressive variety of quality pizza
- Good wine selection
- Fun vibe on outdoor patio
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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The creative menu here developed by its Sicilian chef, Giuseppe Genovese (commonly known as "Beppe"), blends Italian, Mediterranean, and Caribbean cuisine. Locals gather for seafood pasta, grilled lobster, octopus salad, and fresh ceviche, all bathed in garlic and olive oil. Breads, sausages, and pizzas are made from scratch in the small kitchen where Beppe works his magic. The pizza topped with smoked ham, mozzarella, and arugula makes a perfect starter for two. This is the only spot on the island where you'll find authentic espresso, sorbet, and tiramisu.
Av. Morelos 231, 77310, Mexico
Known For
- Smoked-ham pizza
- Authentic tiramisu
- Gourmet coffee
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$$ | Centro | Mexican
Whether you're having a meal or an evening cocktail, try to snag a table on this eatery's outdoor balcony for a fabulous view over Campeche's main plaza. You wouldn't know it from the tiny entrance, but the interior is large and inviting, and the brightly painted walls are crammed with eclectic art. The menu displays a rich sampling of Mexican dishes including coconut shrimp, chicken fajitas, cochinita pibil, and pan de cazón (shredded shark with black beans and tortillas). In addition to pastas, salads, and regional food, you'll find a good selection of aperitifs and digestifs. The view (not the service) is the main draw. To get here, look for the narrow stairway on Parque Principal's southeast side.
Parque Principal, Calle 10 No. 319 Altos, between Calles 57 and 55, Campeche City, Campeche, 24000, Mexico
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No credit cards, No lunch
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Campechano families come here to enjoy a light supper, perhaps a delicious sandwich claveteado of honey-and-clove-spiked ham, along with a typical drink like agua de chaya, a mixture of pineapple water and chaya (a leafy vegetable similar to spinach). The dining area is a wide colonial veranda with marble flooring and tables decked out in plastic tablecloths. No alcohol is served, and you simply mark your choices on the paper menu: for tacos, "m" means maíz, or corn; for tortillas, "h" stands for harina, or flour. On weekends, try the tamal torteado, a tamale with beans, tomato sauce, turkey, and pork wrapped in banana leaves—although not listed on the menu, it's available on request. Known for: banana-wrapped tamales on weekends; stylish veranda; cool evening breezes.
Calle 10 No. 86, 24040, Mexico
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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$ | | Coffee
Follow your nose to this dessert café, where the aromas of French pastries and rich cocoa waft into Campeche's narrow streets. Tucked inside a stone-walled colonial building are small wooden tables and a collection of antiques, like a vintage cash register still used for ringing up transactions. Drink recipes originated from the owner's research into Mayan traditions and her time spent with local families; prepared with the purest form of organic cocoa, they're infused with mint, chile, and more. Not a chocolate lover? You’ll enjoy all-natural fruit juices made with jicama and piña. Crepes and cookies make nice accompaniments. A small gift shop sells locally made products and blocks of dark chocolate. Known for: cocoa-infused everything; relaxed service; pretty coutyard.
Calle 59 No. 30, 24000, Mexico
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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Located right on Progreso's malecon, this restaurant is a notch above its neighbors and has contemporary Yucatecan inspired decor (think: pasta tiles, tzalam wood details, and florescent pink chairs). The menu is extensive but almost everything is from the sea, including shrimp cocktails, Baja-style fish tacos, and platters of crab. There is also a second location at Paseo 60, a collection of shops and restaurants attached to the NH Hotel in Mérida just a block from Paseo de Montejo, but the food tastes better at the original restaurant where it is paired with sea breezes. Reservations are suggested—on warm evenings and holidays weekends, all the tables are often filled.
Calle Malecon, Progreso, Yucatán, 97320, Mexico
Known For
- Ocean views
- Stylish decor
- Extensive seafood menu
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This elegant colonial house on the south side of the main square specializes in hearty Yucatecan cuisine. Pollo X'catik (chicken baked in butter cream) and the city's eponymous dish, lomitos de Valladolid (cubed pork loin in a tomato-chile sauce), are menu highlights. If you're not feeling quite so adventurous, you can choose from mar y tierra (meaning, basically, surf and turf) options. The small front dining room is stylish, but we recommend snagging a table in the leafy back courtyard—it's perfect for lunch on a hot afternoon. El Atrio keeps long hours, opening at 7 am and going strong until 11:30 pm.
Calle 41 No. 204A, Valladolid, Yucatán, 97780, Mexico
Known For
- Stylish setting
- Lush courtyard
- Local flavors
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The homemade ice cream and sorbet at El Colón have been keeping locals cool since 1907. Served in a pyramid-shape scoop, the tropical fruit flavors (like chico zapote, a brown fruit native to Mexico that tastes a little like cinnamon and comes from a tree used in chewing-gum production) are particularly refreshing. The shop also sells cookies and fresh candies—the meringues are exceptional. The tables inside are under whirling fans that make it a comfortable spot on a hot afternoon.
Calle 62 No. 500, Mérida, Yucatán, 97000, Mexico
Known For
- Tropical fruit flavors
- Sidewalk seating
- Local institution
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This tiny restaurant fills a void in island cuisine with the day's catch transformed into the sushi roll of your choice. Local favorites include the Holbox Rainbow made with shrimp, salmon, tuna, and sea bass. Nearly every roll is stuffed with cream cheese, an ingredient that makes the sushi far from authentic yet memorably tasty. Placing a sweet spin on the menu is the Banana Roll with shrimp, avocado, and cream cheese topped with fried banana and eel sauce. The restaurant also serves Thai dishes and has a full cocktail menu—the ginger margarita packs a punch.
Av. Tiburón Ballena, 77310, Mexico
Known For
- Ginger margaritas
- Terrific sake
- Creative (if inauthentic) sushi
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch
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An outpost of lively Eladio's in Mérida, this bar and restaurant is extremely popular with cruise-ship passengers who disembark in Progreso. You can sample typical Yucatecan dishes like longaniza asada (baked sausage) and pollo pibil (citrus-pickled chicken) while seated beneath a tall palapa on the beach. As you’d expect, fresh seafood dishes are also on the menu. Tasty appetizers are free with your drinks, and there are plenty to choose from. Live music every afternoon except Tuesday adds to the party atmosphere.
Av. Malecón at Calle 80, Progreso, Yucatán, 97320, Mexico
Known For
- Yummy free appetizers
- Ocean breezes
- Fresh seafood